Campus Global Warming Commitments
"Never mind what you've heard about global warming as a slow-motion emergency that would take decades to play out. Suddenly and unexpectedly, the crisis is upon us." - Time Magazine
"Why doesn't every college make it a goal to become carbon-neutral - that is, reduce its net CO2 emissions to zero? This should be a national movement. After all, today's students will be profoundly affected by climate change, the coming energy wars and the rising danger of petro-authoritarian states, such as Iran." - Thomas Friedman, New York Times
In light of the growing popular interest in global warming and the critical need for campuses to take responsibility for their global warming pollution, AASHE is pleased to make available to the public this resource highlighting campuses that have made commitments to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions.
This resource lists only campus global warming commitments with specific reduction goals and target dates for achieving them. As a result, campuses that have committed to climate neutrality by signing the American College & University Presidents Climate Commitment, but have not yet adopted a target date for climate neutrality are not listed here.
Campus commitments are listed (to the extent possible) in order of relative strength, with the strongest commitments listed first.
Institution | Commitment | Date of Commitment |
College of the Atlantic | Oct. 2006 | |
Middlebury College | 8% below 1990 levels by 2012 on a per student basis and carbon neutrality by 2016 | May 2004 and May 2007 |
Colorado State University | Sept. 2008 | |
Cornell University | Apr. 2001 | |
Tufts University | 7% below 1990 levels by 2012 and 4% below 1998-2001 baseline by 2006 | Apr. 1999 and 2004 |
UC Berkeley | May 2007 | |
Yale University | Oct. 2005 | |
Williams College | Jan. 2007 | |
University of British Columbia | 25% below 2000 levels by 2010 (only for emissions from buildings; adjusted for growth) | 2006 |
Harvard University | July 2008 | |
| Pace University | 30% within the next 10 years | Nov. 2008 |
Bowdoin College | Jan. 2006 | |
University of Oklahoma | Jan. 2004 | |
University of Iowa | May 2004 | |
University of Minnesota | Dec. 2004 | |
Michigan State University | Nov. 2006 | |
University of California System | 2000 levels by 2010, 1990 levels by 2020, and 80% below 1990 levels by 2050 | Jan. 2006 |
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill | 10% below 2005 levels by 2015; 20% by 2030; 30% by 2040; 45% by 2045; 60% by 2050 | June 2006 |
1 - Participant in the Maine Governor's Carbon Challenge. |
Please email additions, updates and suggestions for improving this resource to resources@aashe.org.
